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Watch: Star Wars Day 2014 Videos with J.J. Abrams, NASA & Rebels

"May the Force Be With You." It's Star Wars Day! On May 4th ("May the 4th Be With You") every year, the world celebrates Star Wars Day, officially supported by Lucasfilm and Disney, with special events all over. With a new trilogy of Star Wars movies just about to begin filming, there's more excitement than ever and we can expect this geek holiday to be even more important in the years to come. To celebrate the event this year, a few new videos have been released, including a short message from Episode VII director/writer J.J. Abrams and writer/producer Lawrence Kasdan (hinting that there is more casting to come), a fun video from NASA, and the first trailer for the latest animated series that follows up The Clone Wars. Enjoy!

Straight from London, Star Wars Episode VII director and writer, J.J. Abrams along with writer Lawrence Kasdan have a quick video message for Star Wars fans this May the 4th. There isn't anything revealed in this and I expect them to keep most of the production a secret, but this is a hint that we have more information coming soon. Filming begins in London in the next few weeks. Until then, stay tuned for the latest updates.

Up next, NASA and Disney/Star Wars have partnered for an entire day of videos and events themed to Star Wars Day. Most of their stuff is being posted on NASA's Facebook / Twitter, but here's the opening message:

In celebration of Star Wars Day, NASA flight engineer Rick Mastracchio hopes to deliver a special message from the International Space Station. Little does he know, however, that the Empire plans to jam his transmissions. Thankfully, R2-D2 is on the case. They also just posted more floating droid videos, as well as information on Saturn's moon Mimas (which is indeed a moon, not a space station) in connection with today's events. I love that they've partnered up with NASA, but then again, they are the best place for updates on space and the universe outside of Earth. I hope this partnership lasts through the entire trilogy.

Finally, last but not least, here is the brand new trailer for the new animated series Star Wars: Rebels:

Starring a small band of heroes -- Sabine, Kanan, Hera, Ezra, Zeb, and Chopper -- Star Wars Rebels is set in a time where the Empire rules through fear and shrouds the galaxy in darkness.Star Wars Rebels takes place between Star Wars: Episode III and IV as the Empire tightens its grip on the galaxy and a rebellion begins to form. The series, executive produced by Dave Filoni, Simon Kinberg, and Greg Weisman, will premiere in fall 2014 as a one-hour special telecast on Disney Channel and will be followed by a series on Disney XD. This actually looks pretty good. As someone who enjoyed the animated Clone Wars show, I'm happy to see them exploring more of this sci-fi universe on the small screen in addition to on the big screen.

Reader Feedback - 9 Comments

With the exception of Empire and EU novles (old republic and some clone war era) and of course the original Star Wars I'm not the biggest SW fan ever...don't get me wrong I love Star Wars it has a place in my heart, just look at my profile picture. Sure the prequels were bad, I'm looking at you Jar Jar, Sidious cackling, scene transitions, bad acting, Windu going out like a bitch, the pussification of Vader, and Noooooooooo! But there were some silver linings- McGregor as Obi Won, Neeson as Qui Gon, Darth Maul, Christopher Lee as Dooku, the clones at the end of ep. 2 and the battle for Kashyyyk, Order 66, Ian McDiarmid. and Obi Won vs Anakin...but those linings are overshadowed by the rest...I have faith in Abrams. Perhaps he can over shadow the prequels.

Xerxexx on May 4, 2014

3

I just want to make a minor comment about the acting. The actors done the best with the material that was given to them. Yes, the prequels were not only bad directed (by George), but also, terrible written. George Lucas has proven to be a terrible actor-director, with his stupid shot-reverse shot, and lausy script.
We can always hope for the best. Abrams do it properly or you'll be known as Jar Jar Abrams.

capitandelespacio on May 4, 2014

4

That is true. I felt Hayden Christensen tried his best with the anakin role...he was okay in Revenge.

Xerxexx on May 4, 2014

5

Remember, Lucas is also known for very few takes (or so I heard McGregor once say in an interview, later confirmed by Christopher Lee in a separate interview). Hardly enough to get a great performance (but certainly can save on expenses)...
Take Peter Jackson, on the other hand, who is known for several, relentless amount of takes. Not many say his films lack acting (although there are SOME who say that, but not near as many as Lucas).
I'm sure Abrams is somewhere in the middle, but in watching his body of work I'm not drawn to feeling his characters are wooden, or ill-rehearsed.